World

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce an extensive reissue program of Meiko Kaji's first five album released in Japan between 1972 and 1974 on Teichiku Records. The program, in partnership with Teichiku and Meiko Kaji, will see her first five albums reissued on vinyl for the first time ever in their original Japanese artwork and remastered audio. Famous for her early 70s exploitation movies ('Lady Snowblood', the 'Female Prisoner Scorpion' and 'Stray Cat Rock' series) revered by Tarantino, Meiko Kaji was also a singer releasing albums to tie in with her movie career. These albums are a fascinating mix of Japanese Pop and Groove with superb funky cinematic orchestrations as displayed in "Hajiki Uta". The album is reissued with original artwork on deluxe Gatefold sleeve LP, OBI strip and a 2-p insert featuring new liner notes by by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha who has interviewed Meiko for the occasion. It features "Urami Bushi" the theme song for the Female Prisoner Scorpion series which was used in Kill Bill Vol 2 and also "Onna No Jumon" the theme song for the film "Female Prisoner Scorpion - Jailhouse 41."A cult icon on the international film scene, Japanese actress Meiko Kaji, born in Tokyo, has been put into the spotlight internationally by Quentin Tarantino when he heavily based his Kill Bill film on the 1973 revenge genre film 'Lady Snowblood,' one of Kaji's most famous films. By the time she appeared in it, she had already made almost fifty feature films (she began her career in 1965) among which the cult 'Stray Cat Rock' and 'Female Prisoner Scorpion' film series and she was one of the most famous exploitation actresses in Japan doubling as a sex symbol. This gave the studios the idea of getting her to start a singing career and release music closely associated with the films she starred in often singing the theme songs. Thus she began releasing records at the dawn of the 70s, recording several 7" singles and five albums for Teichiku which have become sought-after and almost as cult as her films. ​Drawing on her film roles, the music on these albums were an uber-cool mix of kayokyoku (Japanese Pop), traditional Enka Music, Acid Folk and Funky beats arranged by the best producers of the time in a cinematic way that could sound like Ennio Morricone or Jean-Claude Vannier. that explosive cocktail is featured in full blow on the first album from the Meiko Kaji reissue program, 'Hajiki Uta' released by Teichiku in 1973. ​The album featured two film songs, namely 'Urami Bushi' used for the film series "Female Prisoner Scorpion" and 'Onna No Jumon' featured in the film 'Female Prisoner Scorpion - Jailhouse 41,' which have been composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi who also composed the score for these films. At first Kaji was unsure of her singing talents as told to Hashim Bharoocha in an interview but she quickly rose to the challenge: "I told Shunsuke Kikuchi that I couldn’t imagine myself singing the songs. He said I could ignore the melody that he wrote, and just sing it the way I wanted to. That really lifted the pressure off my shoulders, and I decided to sing the song as the character in the film. The director was also happy with that idea.”​The rest of the album follows the same pattern with atmospheric songs such as "Onna Hagure Uta" or "Onna Somuki Uta" displaying Meiko's sombre singing over a superb slow-burning groove, which precedes the funkier "Hitori Kaze" featuring a wah wah guitar, a breakbeat-like rhythm section and slick string arrangement, shaping the unique Meiko Kaji signature sound.​Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue "Hajiki Uta" and the rest of Meiko Kaji superb early 70s albums for the first time in fifty years in their glorious original Japanese artwork, with remastered audio, cementing further the actress' reputation as a true international pop culture icon. 

Wewantsounds continue its extensive Meiko Kaji reissue program in partnership with Teichiku Records and Meiko Kaji herself, with the release of "Gincho Wataridori," her debut album from 1972. This is the first time the album is reissued since release and it comes with its original Japanese artwork and newly remastered audio. Famous for her 70s exploitation movies ('Lady Snowblood', the 'Female Prisoner Scorpion' and 'Stray Cat Rock' series) and revered by Quentin Tarantino, Meiko Kaji also released a string of great albums on Teichiku mixing Japanese Pop and cinematic grooves. This reissue comes with deluxe Gatefold sleeve LP, OBI strip and a 2-p insert featuring new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha.

Released in 1983, Sandra Sá's 'Vale Tudo' is one of the essential Brazilian-boogie-funk records of the era. Pure class throughout, with a dream team of incredible musicians and producers behind the scenes. For some, this album is regarded as Sandra's magnum opus.It is drenched in the essence of the Brazilian 80s boogie and funk sound. A driving force behind this is the writing, arrangement, and musicianship of Lincoln Olivetti, who was instrumental in forging this unique sound within Brazilian production at the time. It is heightened even further by the astonishing team that feature on the record. Brazilian icon and heavyweight Tim Maia, Robson Jorge, Serginho Trombone, Oberdan Magalhães, Claudio Stevenson and Jamil Joanes (of Banda Black Rio fame), Junior Mendes, the list goes on. This crew of musicians synergised perfectly with Sandra's vocal style, all complementing each other to create a classic.One of our favourites from the album is the opening track 'Trem Da Central', an infectious groove that when paired with Sandra's cool and relaxed swaggering vocal resulted in an essential dancefloor jam! Equally delightful and dancefloor summoners are the catchy boogie funk of ‘Candura’, and the Earth, Wind & Fire sounding 'Pela Cidade'. Tim Maia features on the fast-paced duet 'Vale Tudo', which was written especially for Sandra to sing with Tim, who at the time was one of the biggest stars in Brazilian music. These boogie and funk compositions are balanced by fine slow jams giving the album a satisfyingly well-rounded feel.Sandra had been working in music since the 70s and continues to do so to this day, but this period of the early 80s was a rich and prolific time for her. If you are a fan of Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti's self-titled album from 1982 or Marcos Valle's 1983 album featuring the song 'Estrelar', then this one is definitely for you. 'Vale Tudo' is a must-have record from a talented artist at the top of her game and Sandra makes it all sound so effortless.

YĪN YĪN, the highly touted Dutch quartet from Maastricht, returns with a sonically expansive third album Mount Matsu. Recorded collectively in their own studio in the Belgian countryside, the album is a kaleidoscope of sounds and influences, occupying a no man’s land between Khruangbin and Kraftwerk, surf music and Southeast Asian psychedelia, Stax soul and mutant 80s disco, City pop and Japanese instrumental folk (sōkyoku).Mount Matsu sees YĪN YĪN at their most mature and adventurous stage yet. Infectious pentatonic melodicism calling for multiple rewinds.

In the mid-seventies, discotheques were booming in Tokyo and all over Japan. When the Fatback Band climbed the 1975 US and UK charts with their infectious “(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop” hit, Japanese label Victor put out the following year the first Japan made Disco tune with “Sexy Bus Stop”, released under the mysterious name Dr. Dragon & Oriental Express, a pseudonym for successful Japanese pop composer Kyohei Tsutsumi. “Sexy Bus Stop” became an instant hit in the country and, taking this opportunity, various Japanese record companies started releasing Disco music. From 1976 until the early 1980s the music was often recorded by skilled studio musicians, rather than by computer input, providing a really solid sound to the dancefloor. Disco music was also spreading into TV series, commercials and anime. From Godiego’s monster hit “The Birth Of The Odyssey - Monkey Magic” to Pink Parachute’s obscure (and excellent!) “Disco Great Tokyo” tune, this selection explores some of the finest Disco and Boogie music released on the legendary Nippon Columbia label in the late seventies and early eighties. Are you ready? Put your dance shoes on, and enjoy!Wamono Disco - Nippon Columbia Disco & Boogie Hits 1978-1982 de Wamono series

First vinyl reissue of this 1977 LP by one of the great figures of Brazilian music. Brilliant tracks like E necessario, Verao carioca, Venha dormir em casa or Musica para Betinha make it one of the strongest albums to come out of Brazil in the 1970s. Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180g vinyl. TIP!Tim Maia was born in 1942 in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and started his musical career at an early age, along with close friends such as Roberto Carlos or Jorge Ben. Carlos would eventually help him to get a deal for his first single at CBS.During the 70s Maia started to incorporate soul and funk elements into his style. After a two-year period involvement in the Racional cult in Brazil, Maia's funky style was still at its best when he released this album in 1977. It was his first and only recording for Som Livre, the legendary label that became extremely popular due to the many soap operas soundtracks in its extensive catalogue.

Upopo Sanke signifie "Chantons une chanson" en langue ainu. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) était l'une des artistes les plus connues des Aïnous, une communauté indigène longtemps opprimée du nord du Japon. Elle chante leurs chansons traditionnelles avec Oki Kano à la harpe Tonkori, qui a également enregistré l'album."Upopo Sanke" a été mixé en partie par Oki Kano avant d'être masterisé et gravé sur vinyle par Kassian Troyer. Le 2LP est disponible en 45 tours et le son est fantastique. Cet album est le deuxième album d'Umeko Ando, la suite de "Ihunke", enregistré à l'origine en 2000 et réédité en 2018 par Pingipung avec Oki Kano. L'écoute de cette musique peut être une expérience méditative, chaque note et chaque syllabe semblant contenir un doux sourire, cette musique touche doucement le cœur.Oki Kano est un ambassadeur musical de la culture Ainu qui effectue des tournées dans le monde entier avec son Oki Dub Ainu Band et donne également des concerts en solo, toujours en jouant du Tonkori, la harpe Ainu à cinq cordes.

Nippon Acid Folk 1970-1980 is pressed on 12” vinyl and represents the start of Time Capsule’s deep dive into Japan’s rich history of folk and psychedelic soul music.A counterculture movement united by an expansive, experimental and deeply soulful sensibility, Japan’s rebel protest music challenged the status quo and changed the country’s music industry in the process.Vinyl LP with 4 page insert, original artwork, photosThe birth of Japan’s nascent acid folk scene was rooted in the messy and invigorating political climate of the late 1960s. It is a story of Dadaists, communists, pharmacists and cult leaders, led by a young generation of upstart students, artists and dreamers hellbent on turning their world upside down.Born on the campuses of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and centred around newly formed independent label and left-wing stronghold URC, this uniquely Japanese form of folk expression provided an outlet for musicians who were tired of aping Western sounds and instead found ways to sing in Japanese and integrate traditional forms in new ways.At the forefront of this movement was Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haroumi Hosono, a polymath innovator whose band Happy End released the first Japanese language rock album, and whose influence would go on to be felt across Japanese music for decades. Alongside, and informed by the Kansai scene’s Takashi Nishioka and Happy End collaborator Ken Narita, they experimented with cadences and accents of the Japanese language to open the door for others to experiment with their own forms of psychedelic folk too.Some, like Nishioka, were more inspired by Dadaism than drugs, while others, like Kazuhisa Okubo, would ultimately find work as a chemist, having founded two further folk groups that flirted with varying levels of success. Obstinately uncommercial, relentlessly creative, the music featured on Time Capsule’s Nippon Acid Folk represents a broad church of influences.Perhaps the wildest addition to this congregation however was Hiroki Tamaki, a classically-trained violinist and committed iconoclast, whose synth-prog odysseys hinted at his obsession with the divine. Subsumed by the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, he penned an album in praise of the infamous religious leader of which two superbly mind-bending tracks are featured on this compilation.Charting the decade from 1970 to 1980 as the dreams of political and spiritual liberation seeded in the ‘60s turned to dust, Nippon Acid Folk surveys a little explored corner of Japanese music history, but one which ultimately laid the foundations for an independent music industry, launching the careers of Hosono and others in the process.Nippon Acid Folk 1970-1980 is pressed on 12” vinyl and represents the start of Time Capsule’s deep dive into Japan’s rich history of folk and psychedelic soul music.

Wewantsounds is delighted to release 'Sharayet el Disco' a selection ofEgyptian '80s disco and boogie tracks curated by Egyptian DJ DiscoArabesquo from his vast collection of cassettes and officially released onvinyl for the first timeRemastered for vinyl and including colour insert with liner notes by Moataz Rageb(Disco Arabesquo). Most tracks have never been released on any other formatand are making their vinyl debut with this set. A journey through the funky soundof 80s Egypt, Sharayet El Disco (which can be translated by "Disco Cassettes")features Simone, Ammar El Sherei and more obscure names from Cairo'scassette culture.The audio has been remastered for vinyl by David Hachour/Colorsound Studio inParis and the LP features artwork by young Egyptian graphic designer Heba Tarekand a 2-page insert featuring artwork of the original cassettes plus insightful linernotes by Moataz Rageb.The set is a unique insight into the diversity of the Egyptian Disco sound, from thepulsating Disco of "Hezeny" by Hany Shenouda's Al Massrieen band to the boogieof Simone's "Merci," via Firkit El Asdekaa's tongue-in-cheek "Eklib el Sheriet" ("turnthe cassette to the other side"), produced by legendary Egyptian musician AmmarEl Sherei.

Thandi Zulu known as T.Z. Junior was a young girl from Soweto, a township of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Soweto became an independent municipality with elected black councilors in 1983. T.Z. Junior started her musical career with Peter Moticoe who produced "Love Games" with The Young Five on Heads label in 1984. Then, Peter Moticoe brought her to Phil Hollis at Dephon Entertainment who then teamed them up with Attie Van Wyk who was the producer for Yvonne Chaka Chaka at that time.Phil Hollis started Dephon Promotion (Dephon Entertainment) in the late 70's and developed into the largest independent record company in South Africa. He describes himself as the only person who has been involved in recording of major hit songs in nearly all genre's of music in all the languages in South Africa. Phil Hollis was involved in all aspects of the Entertainment industry from production of recordings, recording company, distribution, marketing and promotion, events management, staging major events and filming."Sugar My Love" and "Are You Ready For Love" were produced and arranged by Attie Van Wyk. “Back in the 80's I was a songwriter for a band called Ballyhoo when I got an offer from the Dephon Record Company to join them as a music producer. So I quit the band and joined them, producing records mainly for music targeted at the black market in those days,” he says. Between 1982 and 1992, Attie Van Wyk produced over 120 albums, including many for Yvonne Chaka Chaka for whom he also wrote songs. “At that time, I realised that the only way to sell records was to put the artists on a touring circuit.” Hit song writer, band member, music producer, tour organiser, and concert promoter, Attie Van Wyk started Big Concerts in 1992 when, after helping to negotiate the end of the cultural boycott against South Africa, he brought out Paul Simon, one of the first international acts South Africa had seen for a long, dark time during Apartheid.

Blanc Manioc present NYAMAKALA BEATS N°3 their third compilation, and frst-ever vinyl release, due in the spring of 2022.The label, once again, brings together its extended global musical family - Cardozo, La Dame, Asna, Mc Waraba, Praktika, Aunty Rayzor, Sheitan Brothers and Pedro Bertho. Blanc Manioc also showcase new family members - Sly A10, Chabela, PANGAR and anyoneID.Rising starts of Abidjan, Oyoki Onanayo and Stelair, and South African heroes, Aero Manyelo, Shujaa Bora, Pulo N'Dj and Mc Swordman also join the family with contributions to the release.Running parties, festivals and courses in Abidjan (Le Maquis Electroniq), Blanc Manioc pioneer extraordinary talents between Africa and Europe.As well as presenting their frst vinyl release, Blanc Manioc will launch "Blanc Manioc party” this year, a live event following the "Nyamakala" principles (Nyamakala" means "the antidote of evil” in Mandinka) curing the people through dance.

✺ Originally released in 1976✺ A must-have for Japanese mono-folk song fans✺ Exclusive RSD Japan ReleaseKiyoshi Yamaya, an important person from Japanese mono to folk songs, has a new memory of the release of the 7-inch “Japanese Traditional Melodies Selected and Edited by MURO” that was selected and edited by MURO in 2018.The long-awaited straight reissue of “Ryukyu” released in 1976, which is popular not only in Japan but also overseas, and the original version is difficult to obtain!A must-have for Japanese mono-folk song fans.

The music of Martinique poet and composer Gratien Midonet is being treated to a special three-track remix EP, A Cosmic Poet Revisited, providing a new context for the political activism and cosmic folk sound of the original recordings.A musician informed by his academic and spiritual pursuits, who penned albums in France that became cult anthems for the independence movement in his native Martinique, Midonet developed a unique sonic language that combined bélé and beguine rhythms, acoustic mysticism, Creole lyrics and electronic instrumentation.Releasing four albums across a ten-year period between 1979 and 1989, Midonet’s catalogue has been revisited for the first time on Time Capsule compilation, A Cosmic Poet from Martinique (TIME009).With the label also reissuing all four original albums digitally over a number of months, this extensive retrospective of Midonet’s career is joined by an EP featuring three new interpretations from a trio of like-minded sonic disciples from across the globe.On the A-Side, Sapporo-based producer and sound designer Kuniyuki Takahashi tugs at the spiritual threads of Midonet’s ‘Osana’ to unravel the sun-soaked funk devotional into an 11-minute deep house odyssey.Up next, London-based Time Capsule boss Kay Suzuki’s soft touch rework of ‘Roulo’ emphasises the organic syncopation of Midonet’s original to craft a tantalising slow-burner that ebbs and flows with a natural ease.Closing out proceedings, Romanian duo Khidja provide an acid-tinged adaptation of ‘La Reine’, the final track of the Time Capsule compilation. A minimalist affair which nods towards kosmische musik in its forward motion, Khidja bring the loose drums and elastic synth lines to the front on what is a fittingly euphoric climax to the EP.Speaking to compilation curator Cedric Lassonde, Midonet stressed the spiritual necessity of his music in approaching “the transcendental worlds whose door remains closed for most humans”.In curating a remix project that seeks not to exaggerate the intention of the originals but to compliment them, Time Capsule has succeeded in lifting Gratien Midonet’s message of mystical togetherness into new realms.